The Blubber

The Department of Homeland Security on Thursday informed hundreds of thousands of migrants that their permission to live and work in the United States had been revoked and they are now expected to leave the country, according to a notice obtained by CNN.

The termination notice was directed at nationals of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela who had entered the U.S. under a Biden-era parole program. Over 500,000 people from those four countries had benefited from the program, though it is unclear how many have since sought other immigration pathways while in the United States. DHS stated that the notice was sent to the email addresses provided by participants in the program.

“This notice informs you that your parole is now terminated,” the letter reads. “If you do not leave, you may be subject to enforcement actions, including but not limited to detention and removal, without an opportunity to make personal arrangements and return to your country in an orderly manner.”

The communication also explains that work permits issued under the parole program are being revoked and directs individuals to return those permits to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The move comes amid heightened tensions in cities like Los Angeles, where the California National Guard was deployed and curfews imposed following days of protests triggered by federal immigration enforcement operations. Mayor Karen Bass said the curfew aimed to “stop the vandalism, to stop the looting” after clashes and demonstrations spread through downtown.

Related: Trump’s move to use military for immigration enforcement was months in the making

This step marks the latest action in the Trump administration’s broader push to reduce the number of migrants in the country — regardless of whether they are here legally or illegally.

Initially launched by the Biden administration in 2023, the parole program offered a legal pathway for eligible migrants from the four countries to enter the U.S., provided they passed security checks and had a U.S.-based sponsor in lawful status. The program was credited by Biden officials with reducing unlawful border crossings, but drew criticism from Republican lawmakers, who argued that the administration was overstepping its legal authority.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his first day back in office to end the program. Legal challenges followed, and the case eventually reached the Supreme Court, which allowed the administration to move forward with revoking protections for individuals who had entered under the parole authority.

“Ending the CHNV parole programs, as well as the paroles of those who exploited it, will be a necessary return to common-sense policies, a return to public safety, and a return to America First,” said Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a statement to CNN.

While the Supreme Court’s emergency order is not the final ruling—the legal proceedings will continue in lower courts—it does permit the administration to begin expedited deportations for an estimated 530,000 migrants who were previously protected under the program.

The Trump administration described the decision to terminate these paroles as one of its “most consequential immigration policy decisions,” telling the court that earlier lower-court rulings blocking the policy had disrupted “critical immigration policies carefully calibrated to deter illegal entry,” undermining core executive authority.